Hank Williams, Jr. Pulls Song from ESPN Monday Night Football

Yeah, freedom of speech is an honor and if they dog on a republican for being ugly it’s treason. When just a while ago we republicans cried about somebody calling one of ours Hitler.

With the fallout the Dixiechicks recieved from the right wing,and the general press and public,Hank’s comments were way over the top,not to have some type of punishment,be it in the press,or in his pocketbook……….and one more thing,IMO I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR WHY a duly elected president is the enemy…one more thought,fredom of speech is free,true,but it may have a cost to the person or group that makes the statement.

Now you want to cry freedom of speech. It was a ignorant comment,now he wants to apologize. People kill me making ignorant,disrespectful comments and then turn around and say I’m sorry.He’s not sorry,he’s just sorry because he got called on it. He meant what he said.

“A sane texan” is a bit hard to read, but, The Dixie Chicks decided to go to London, stand on stage and say that not only they but TEXAS was embarrassed that the President was from Texas. Then they had the gall to claim free speech and get hurt when we decided to not purchase their music. That is kind of different from making an analogy using the President and Hitler sitting in America speaking to Americans. Yes he should have known that Liberal Media would ensure that everyone heard him whether we want to or not, and he probably could have said, Obama and Boehner golfing is like the Union and Management setting at a table and agreeing to cut workers benefits. But he didn’t, he made that mistake and stood up to it. Now ESPN, ABC, NFL and Disney have made a mistake and they are pointing fingers, thier lose. I know Hank Jr is talented enough to not need anyone to stay popular. Ride those coat tails Grace.

You were being fired by ESPN, you did not pull your songs out of ESPN.

If he woulld have said this about a repud. pres and dem speaker – ESPN and ABC would have made him a saint

It is truly sad. I agree the Dixie Chicks got a raw deal, but let me say it was the people of America who decided not to buy their music.. Free enterprise… They have the right to say what they want … Free Speech…. In each case I stand for the freedom. But if you look back on the Dixie Chick incident you will see that again it was the Media who kept fanning the flames to keep the hot topic popular. In the end our Media squelches Freedom of Speech. Had the Mass Media left it well enough alone Free Enterprise might have played out perfectly fine for the Dixie Chicks. I do not care for Hank Williams Jr, not my kind of music or entertainer. Should he be fired .. NO .. Oh and by the way I haven’t watched Monday night football in almost 3 yrs. Not a big football fan either. For everyone out there… Dixie Chicks, Hank Williams Jr and a many of others this is what you get when you allow ‘Political Correctness’ to run the show instead of Freedom of Speech!!!

Hank Williams has become what is so much the face of the Republican Party: redneck, uneducated, racist, and hateful. Ronald Reagan would turn over in his grave if he saw what the conservative right wing nuts have done to his party over the last 2 decades…

I love all these racist Liberals comments on here. Uneducated? The prison are full of Liberals who never finished high school. Look in the mirror Liberals…..you’re as dumb as that idiot you put in the white house.

How pathetic are the people who claim that Hank Williams Jr.’s right to free speech was trampled on?
Very. How? Because no one stopped Hank Williams Jr’s freedom to say whatever he wants. What ESPN did was decide to NOT associate themselves with a man who says things that they either don’t like thier celebrities to be saying. There’s no infrigement on his right to free speech. What it was is ESPN Excersizing thier freedom of speech to no longer to associated with him. Anyone claiming that Hank Williams Jr’s right to free speech was trampled on is a fact ignoring idiot.

Kyle, JFK must be turning over in his grave because of the way the democratic party has changed over the last 50 years. It isn’t the party of JFK any longer.

Dear Hank,
You do not have freedom of speech protection from ESPN but rather the amendment provides you protection only from the governments attempts to silence you.

Best Regard and good luck to you.

What blows my mind is the level of judgement and assumptions of raciism aganist Hank Williams and his comments because they don’t mesh well with the liberal left wing bloggers on this sight. Agree or Disagree with Mr. William’s comments he still has the freedom to speak them if he so chooses to! Just as ESPN has the freedom to choose to ask him to leave their show and Mr. William’s has the freedom to pull the song he wrote from their show. End of story! This is America and EVERYONE (regardless of their political viewpoint) has the freedom to speak their minds–even if it is NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT!!! It shouldn’t matter if you’re a redneck, a liberal nutcase from California, or just an average person from the Mid-West, Free Speach is just that FREE!! Daily I read the same usual vomitting from the liberals on this blogs tearing down anyone who may disagree with them but then cry foul when they are called out on it!! Grow up and if you don’t agree with what someone famous says–then don’t buy their music or watch their show. That’s your choice!! but the name calling on both sides has to stop!! And y’all wonder why this country is going to hell in a handbasket…need I say more?

A huge talent who added something very special to the football broadcast. He said nothing more than what 75% of Americans already think, especially after the strongarm tactics Obama directed to be used by his henchmen Pelosi and Reid with health care. Health care could have been another version of the Nuremburg Laws and the American people could not stop it from being passed despite the public outcry! The comparison is quite apt and more widely embraced than ultra liberals are willing to accept. To fire this distinguished artist for speaking the truth is an outrage and no one in my family will watch ESPN again until he is reinstated to his former position!!

I grew up listening to Hank Sr. and listened to Hank Jr. also (although his politics are a bit warped). Hank Jr. learned the same way the Dixie Chicks learned – free speech isn’t always necessarily free for the speaker. Many times there is a price to pay for that freedom (beyond that paid by the military on our behalf). I am a football fan and I have no problem whatsoever that they pulled his song from their broadcast. I disagree with his comments although I support his right to make them. I also support ESPN’s decision to distance themselves from him due to his remarks. He should have known he might have problems when he opened his mouth and made that comment. The Chicks had to deal with the fallout from their decision (I personally agreed with their comments) and now Hank Jr. has to deal with his. Suck it up big boy – life goes on. Quit babying and trying to turn it into something it isn’t.

Please don’t think that all “rowdy friends” agree with Hank Williams, Jr. He is a loud, arrogant blowhard who desrves whatever he gets for acting like a jerk.

Very good point at 4:05 MAZJA” ESPN has the freedom to disassociate themselves with Frank for saying something so ignorant. I wouldn’t want my Business or Company to be associated with someone that displays ignorance such as that. Freedom of speech is one thing but sheer igorance is another thing. LOL boy these people are saying or doing any and everything to make Obama a one term president.they don’t care how ignorant the sound or look. Ridiculous!

Conservatives are generally very ignorant of what the 1st amendment says. The 1st amendment protects people’s free speech from government. The 1st amendment does not give people the right not to be told to shut up. The 1st amendment does force private individuals or businesses to promote your words for you. Grow up, you whiny Republicans, and actually read the Constitution you claim to like.

Hank Williams Jr is a talentless bum who has profited from fame because of his late father. He’s an idiot and a loser and I’m glad ESPN pulled the song and sent Hank packing. I never liked the stupid song, anyway, and muted the sound when it came on. He can scream Freedom of Speech all he wants. To compare the president to Hitler just shows how ignorant he is. I guess he couldn’t think of anything else to say, but, then again, he is a mental moron, so I guess we should take that into consideration.

Last time I saw him live he was a drunken adzehole. I see that nothing’s changed. As to those who say he was only making a comparison, watch the entire film clip and you’ll see that Gretchen Carlson asks him for clarification that the’s comparing Obama to Hitler and he acknowledges it.

Thanks to those people who have pointed out that Hank Williams, Jr. is not being denied ANY First Amendment Rights. He is free to say whatever he wants. I have read so many people rant that this marks the end of Freedom of Speech in America. That is beyond laughable. These people have no grasp of what Freedom of Speech means or what the 1st Amendment stands for. Hank Williams, Jr. can say whatever he wants. That does not mean ESPN has to keep him on the payroll. In my opinion he’s been the voice of Monday Night Football for way too long. I know that Hank Williams, Jr. lost his father (which is life altering) at a young age and then fell off a mountain, which ravaged his face and damaged his career. But one has to wonder if the fall damaged more than just his face. I got my first Hank, Jr. album back in the late 70s, so I’m not some Hank hater. But anyone that says his having repercussions for his bonehead remarks on Fox is some violation of his right to Freedom of Speech does not know what he/she is talking about. Now if he were jailed or imprisoned for what he said, that would be a different story. But losing a contract with ESPN is NOT a violation of his 1st Amendment rights. Grow up people. That’s what Freedom of Speech is all about. Hank, Jr. is free to say whatever he wants, and ESPN is free to not have him working for them. The 1st Amendment doesn’t guarantee that ALL Americans (or any) have to agree with what you say. It just allows you to say it. These people who are whining about ESPN’s letting him go are bigger victims than Hank Williams, Jr. is.

“But to compare disappointment in the President being from Texas,the same state as the Chicks,and comparing the current President of being like Hitler is differant and is a false equivlency…..it is like saying I punched Mom because Dad ran a red light. ….and GM you got it all in there,it’s unions,liberals,liberal media,not Hank’s actions or speech,way to be a republican,what is that about personal responsability?” Sane, you managed to mess this up as bad as the media did! Way to prove my point!

@Don…If you want to talk education then you must possess a degree. Which school is your Alma mater?

Good riddance to Hankie! Just an embarassment we Southerners don’t need.

Noflyzone: needs a shower and a shave? I thought it was one of those Wall St walk around dudes for a minute. Glad you got us straight.

ok people lets get real Hank did not compare the President of being like Hitler nor did he compare Republican Rep. John Boehner of being like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he was making a statement about two polar opposites playiing golf together, an analogy, now should he have known that thin skinned politically correct people would go crazy over this…yes he should have, but oh well, as far as his free speech their was no infringement, no one stopped him from saying what he wanted to, but if we punish people for speaking their minds then we are indirectly hampering free speech, we as Americans really need to lighten up a little

WAY TO GO HANK!!!! He will not be boycotted like the Dixie Chicks. He will make more money because of this! Love him! Tell ESPN to get an Attitude Adjustment…..

I’m not a fan of HW Jr’s music nor of his politics. However, having sought out AND ACTUALLY WATCHED the Fox interview in question, I feel certain that most of the posters as well as the ABC reporter who wrote this story, Polson Kanneth, clearly have not done the same. This article states “Williams had compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler” when that is just not the case. What he actually said about the golf game that President Obama and Speaker Boehner played was that “It would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu, OK? Not good.” His analogy was clearly inflammatory, but it does not take a member of MENSA to understand that he was just trying to make his point that he felt that Speaker Boehner should see President Obama and the Dems as the enemy. He had already said he was not impressed with the Republican field (not conservative enough) and was criticizing the Republicans. Where are your critical thinking skills, people? When we blindly accept misinformation from disingenuous sources (on BOTH sides!) it’s no wonder our country is in such crisis in so many areas. PLEASE EDUCATE YOURSELVES! You too Mr. Kanneth. And shame on you.